Mark Gertler was born in 1891 in London. His early childhood was largely unsettled, with the family moving home and from one country to another, with prolonged absence of his father who tried various ways to make a living. He was the youngest of five children, with ten years between his birth and that of the eldest.
He showed real early promise with drawing, and this was recognised by his family and school - though the family could not see how this would benefit him and allow him to make a living. Even so, he made good progress with his art, and despite problems with funding, he was accepted by The Slade School of Art in 1908. At first the tutors did not show any admiration for Gertler's work, but in due course with hard work and enthusiasm he began to produce paintings which gained him high approval and also a financial scholarship.
Gertler's Prolific Period
At The Slade, Mark Gertler began with drawing and sketching, but moved towards painting mainly portraits, although he worked with landscapes and still life, too. He was eventually an extremely successful student.
Although sensitive about his poor and Jewish background, Gertler became popular with a group of friends. They found him amusing as a natural mimic, full of enthusiasm about his art, and generally entertaining. In due course he became friendly with a number of successful artists, and was introduced to the Bloomsbury Group of some top literary and artistic talents including Virginia Woolf. He found a patron, Lady Ottoline Morrell, who helped to ensure that he was free of basic financial worries, and also introduced him to the Camden Town Group of artists.
Gertler became very successful as a portrait painter. However, his strong creative streak began to kick against the restrictions this caused, and with the frustration came a loss of favour with wealthy sitters and buyers for his portraits. A loss of income resulted, causing a renewal of financial problems.
He had fallen deeply for a fellow artist from The Slade School, Dora Carrington, who was known by just her surname. They became close, but he was always by far the more committed of the two, and was highly jealous of her other friends. Still, the one-sided nature of their relationship did not prevent him from eventually producing a large number of works which were fully of his own creation and which remain highly regarded.
Mark Gertler's Final Years
In his late twenties, Gertler's health began to suffer, and he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. This was especially traumatic, since the illness had caused the death of his friends D H Lawrence and Katherine Mansfield. He spent several periods in a sanatorium - although he did produce some excellent work while there.
Gertler married in 1930, at age 38, and they had a son, Luke. The marriage was not always happy; both had periods of poor health, and he eventually became restless within the confines of the relationship. Over the next few years he suffered several blows. In 1932 Golda died, and in the same year, Carrington committed suicide. His health deteriorated, migraines were a problem, and he became increasingly worried and unhappy. There were financial difficulties, too, and periods of artistic productivity became shorter and less frequent.
In 1938-9, Gertler and his wife parted. Serious talk of possible war was a further blow to his spirits. In the spring of 1939, his one-main exhibition at a London gallery was a flop. In June, financial constraints meant that his house and studio were to be sold; on the 23rd, the day of the valuation of the premises, Mark Gertler entered his studio, closed the window, plugged gaps around the door, and gassed himself.
As a result, he was thereafter not to be spoken of in the family - his sister Sophie, when asked by her grandchildren about her brother, always told them that, "We never talk about Uncle Mark" - and she never did.
Many of Gertler's works have been acquired by a number of top art galleries, while others are in private ownership. Recognised as one of the twentieth century's finest artists, thankfully his pictures - and the bronze cast of his only surviving sculpture - will be saved and protected as artistic heritage. After a childhood of poverty and changes of environment, his talent was recognised and promoted, though he remained a passionate but troubled artist to the end of his life.
Sources
Sarah MacDougall, Mark Gertler, published John Murray, 2002.
John Woodeson, Mark Gertler: Biography of a Painter, 1891-1939, published Sidgwick and Jackson, 1972.
Pye/Morris family archives.
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